Published 4:00 am, Saturday, October 7, 2006

Photo: DAVID KARP

Image 1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

John Bolton, U.S. Ambassador to United Nations speaks to reporters after a Security Council meeting regarding North Korea at U.N. Headquarters in New York Friday, Oct. 6, 2006. The Council urged North Korea on Friday to cancel a planned nuclear test and return immediately to talks on scrapping its nuclear weapons program, saying that exploding such a device would threaten international peace and security. (AP Photo/David Karp) less

John Bolton, U.S. Ambassador to United Nations speaks to reporters after a Security Council meeting regarding North Korea at U.N. Headquarters in New York Friday, Oct. 6, 2006. The Council urged North Korea on ... more

2006-10-07 04:00:00 PDT United Nations -- The U.N. Security Council issued a statement Friday expressing "deep concern" about North Korea's threat to conduct its first test of a nuclear explosive, saying it would "jeopardize peace, stability and security in the region and beyond."

The action came as U.S. officials look toward Sunday as a possible date for North Korea to carry out the test. Oct. 8 is the ninth anniversary of Kim Jong Il's appointment as head of the Korean Workers' Party and is one day before South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki Moon will face a vote on his bid to become the next secretary-general of the United Nations.

President Trump addresses nation after mass shooting at Florida SchoolWhite House

The 15-nation Security Council urged North Korea to resume multiparty talks over its nuclear program, warning that a nuclear test "would bring universal condemnation." The council also issued a veiled threat to weigh tougher action, including the possibility of sanctions, against Pyongyang if it proceeds with the test.

The nonbinding statement capped three days of intensive negotiation after North Korea's announcement Tuesday that it plans to test a nuclear device to strengthen its defenses against the United States.

The Bush administration expressed frustration that the council was not prepared to adopt an even tougher response spelling out the punitive actions to be imposed on North Korea if it conducts a test.

Related Stories

"At this point, no, I don't think there's a strategy of preventive diplomacy in place," said John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Still, Bolton and Kenzo Oshima, Japan's ambassador, said the statement will be helpful to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is expected to advocate a tougher response to North Korea's nuclear program in visits to Beijing on Sunday and Seoul on Monday.

China and Russia have urged the United States and other members of the council to pursue only diplomatic means to end the nuclear standoff with North Korea.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said he spoke with Bolton on Friday about the need for the United States to engage in direct talks with North Korea. However, Churkin said Bolton insisted the United States will sit down with North Korean officials only if they resume multiparty talks on the nuclear program.

"We think that bilateral contacts between the United States and North Korea could be useful in resolving the situation," Churkin said.

U.S. officials suspect North Korea has acquired enough plutonium to produce as many as 11 nuclear bombs. In February, Pyongyang announced that it had succeeded in building a nuclear device, but analysts estimate that it could be years before North Korea is able to launch it.